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Feeders and Friends give $51,500 in memory of young motherNJC Foundation to manage fund for Kasey Jo Warner scholarships Colorado It is a quiet army of country folk who know how to get a job done. Much to the amazement of others, a few ranchers, their wives, some friends, relatives and acquaintances who are well engrained in the cattle industry come together to make some magic happen every August. And, they do it on the high plains of Colorado, out in the middle of nowhere, by most people's standards--near the shadows of the Pawnee Buttes. This year, the effort put forth by this dedicated band of angels was especially meaningful because they were honoring another one of their very own. The group calls itself Feeders and Friends and, over the past six years, they have raised more than a quarter of a million dollars to help various young people and their families with medical expenses after catastrophic illness or injury; or they have honored the memory of a young person who passed away far too early in life. This past August, Feeders and Friends brought several hundred supporters to the quaint little arena on the fairgrounds in New Raymer, Colo., and held a day-long event to include a barbecue, dance, ranch rodeo, Calcutta and auction. When the dust had settled and the dollars from the day were all rounded up, the group had raised $51,500 after expenses. Yes, feedlots and ranches from this region are big supporters of this event, paying hefty entry fees for their designated teams to compete; then they double back and generously bet on their own teams as part of the Calcutta fun. As if that isn't enough, many of these cattlemen twist the arms of their pharmaceutical reps to get them to persuade their home offices to make large contributions for the cause. They need not twist very hard, however, because everyone in this "feeder" culture understands what it means to come together, open up a checkbook and donate toward a good cause. This year's good cause was to raise scholarship dollars in memory of Kasey Jo Walker Warner. Kasey was killed in October 2007 during a tragic pedestrian car accident near her home in Arapahoe, Neb. At age 28, she was a young wife and mother of two small girls. She and her husband, Dan, were settling into a wonderful life, married eight years, two beautiful children. He engaged in farming and ranching and cattle as part of his family's larger operation; she was teaching biology at nearby McCook Community College and helping coach volleyball teams in Arapahoe and McCook. Money collected by Feeders and Friends this year was designated to go toward a scholarship fund in Kasey Jo's name. It was appropriate to honor Kasey Jo. The daughter of Jim and Deb Walker of New Raymer, many times had competed in this same arena during the Northeast Weld County Fair and Rodeo. She was active in 4-H and FFA over the years, even serving as a Colorado FFA state officer the year after she graduated from Prairie High School. She loved livestock. She loved being a leader. She loved the land and the country life. She comes from a large, extended family that completely embraces agriculture as a way of life. For some in the New Raymer area, raising dollars for another young woman gone too soon brought bitter sweet pain, perhaps more than any tiny community like this ought to have to bear. Just three years prior, Feeders and Friends had honored the memory of Andi Whitlock. Andi, also an accomplished young woman raised in the northern Weld County ranchland, had died as the result of an automobile accident. That year, the Feeders and Friends raised nearly $30,000 in her honor. As a past member of the NJC basketball team that went to the national tournament her sophomore year, and a graduate of the college's emergency medical technician's program, Andi, 20, was spending most of her time working for the local ambulance service, giving something back to her community. She was engaged to be married at the time of her death. Life for her was also just beginning. It was during Whitlock's funeral service, which packed the gym at Prairie High School to capacity, that local resident Marla Tappy so vividly noted during public comment, "they say it takes a whole village to raise a child--well, out here in this ranchland, it takes a whole herd to grow a baby...she has been our baby...everyone's baby." It is this rustic, down-to-earth, warm country mentality that has been a big part of why the annual Feeders and Friends event has met with such huge success. For the past three years, the Northeastern Junior College Foundation has awarded scholarships in Andi's name to students in the college's emergency medical program. The dollars raised in Kasey Jo's memory have now also been given to the Northeastern Junior College Foundation to be managed and awarded in her name. In future years, as the family specifies, scholarships will be given in the areas of science, education and agriculture. There's a bit of irony in the fact that Kasey Jo didn't actually enroll at NJC. During the year that she was a state FFA officer, she chose to go directly to Colorado State University. However, her family has close ties to NJC. Her husband, Dan, attended NJC and was on the livestock judging team with Kasey's brother, Colby Walker. Kasey Jo's father and mother both attended NJC and her mother worked at NJC for many years before moving to the Kidz Ark where she now teaches and counsels at-risk children. All of the family eagerly shares fond memories and thoughts regarding their association with the college and the many students they have known over the years who have attended NJC. During a banquet held recently in Fort Morgan to celebrate the success of the 2008 Feeders and Friends event, those who are the founders, helpers, workers and benefactors gathered. A picture show beamed up on the wall, showing various shots of the ranch rodeo competitors. Karen Kester provided a short history of the event, identifying those who came up with the original concept, including Albert Kester, Mike Cervi, Verlin Mahan, and Andrew Timmerman, who she said met perhaps three times and then began recruiting help to make the first year's ranch rodeo a reality. She identified several handfuls of folks who now help with the event each year including such names as: Gene and Cathy Nelson, Gary and Linda Sievers, Monte Younglund, Susie Kester, Jim and Janet Lowe, Jim and Shelly Krager, Casey and Toby Nelson, Carol and Kerry Lambert, Bernie and Marsha Ellis, Sandi and Guy Whitlock, Cody and Dolly McEndaffer, Jason Timmerman, Wendy Smith, Bonnie Freeman, John Michel and Ken Holzworth. In a ceremonial gesture at the end of the evening, Jason Timmerman, president of Feeders and Friends, presented the Walker and Warner families with a check in Kasey Jo's honor. Dan Warner, in turn, presented the check to Dr. Lance Bolton, president of Northeastern Junior College, who accepted it on behalf of the Foundation. "We are so very proud that your organization and the Walker and Warner families entrust us with these dollars and we will manage them well to honor the memory of Kasey Jo," Bolton said when receiving the check. "Helping other students pay for their education is truly a way to turn tragedy into triumph. This is an excellent example of how a small group of people can come together to accomplish something wonderful." According to Dan Warner, others' donations were received which were used to help establish scholarships in Kasey Jo's name at McCook Community College, Arapahoe High School and Prairie High School. A bike tour initiated by one of Kasey Jo's cousins, who recruited a group of cyclists to join him to ride from Steamboat Springs to New Raymer, was very successful in raising dollars for a college scholarship fund for the Warners' two daughters, Gentry and Berkley. While dollars cannot replace a life lost, they shall go a huge distance in keeping the memory of Kasey Jo alive. ===CUTLINES=== At a recent banquet, the Feeders and Friends organization presented the Warner and Walker families with a check representing the proceeds from the 2008 ranch rodeo fundraiser held in August which honored the memory of Kasey Jo Walker Warner. The $51,500 raised at the New Raymer event will be used for scholarships in Kasey's name through the Northeastern Junior College Foundation. Pictured from left to right front back row are Verlin Mahan and Jason Timmerman, representing Feeders and Friends, with Dan Warner, Deb Walker, Jim Walker, Colby Walker and Karrie Walker holding son Ben; and (front row) Gentry and Berkley Warner. The Warner and Walker families presented the check to Dr. Lance Bolton, president of Northeastern Junior College (far right), who proudly accepted the dollars on behalf of the NJC Foundation which will manage the scholarship fund for the family. Scholarships will be awarded in Kasey Jo's name in the areas of agriculture, education and science. 11/24/08 Date: 11/19/08
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